


Just you and me (and the kids)

by Stars_dreaming



Series: 365 MCU drabbles and oneshots [3]
Category: British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston Fandom
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 14:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17768552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stars_dreaming/pseuds/Stars_dreaming
Summary: Your children are sad that their father isn't home; after all, he promised them he would watch The Jungle Book with them. Your mind is - once again - clouded by worries about your marriage.





	Just you and me (and the kids)

"Mommy?" Your daughter's voice softly popped out of the blue, and you turned from the stove to crouch down on the ground to look her in the eye. She reminded you of your husband in many, many ways. Those sincere blue eyes for example, or her blonde curls framing her little face, and that innocent, adorable smile that she usually sported on her face. 

"Yes, sugar?" You answered, stroking her head and staring at her lovingly. You couldn't love anyone more than your children, you were sure of it. She batted her eyelashes. 

"When's daddy coming home?" You opened your mouth to say, "Soon, sugar, he will be here soon enough," but you knew that it was a lie - you didn't know when he was coming home. Instead, you chose your words carefully. 

"I'm not really sure, darling. Daddy hasn't called yet." Disappointment flashed in her eyes. You couldn't bear to see the sadness on her face. So you smiled, and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "How about you get your siblings from their bedroom, and then I'll read the three of you a book before you go to bed," you whispered, and she nodded. You slowly got up, and picked up another dirty plate to wash. 

"Mommy?" You turned again. Your daughter was standing in the doorway, dressed in a fairy costume, with her bunny dangling from her small right hand. "Does daddy still love us?" Your heart leaped, but not in the right way. You forced a smile on your face. "Of course he does, baby. Daddy will always love us." But as you turned to dishwashing again, you couldn't help but doubt those words. 

 

You and Tom had met on the set of Thor. Back then, you'd been the assistant director (you and Kenneth were childhood friends), and you played a tiny roll in the movie. Since you and Chris Hemsworth had hit it off from the start, it was easy for you and Tom to connect. 

You'd talked endlessly about Shakespeare, and his plays, and about producing movies and how you'd ended up on the set of one of the Marvel movies. You became swift friends, with mutual attraction and just a bit of chemistry between the two of you. But you'd been in a happy relationship at the time, with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and you would never cheat. 

Despite both your best efforts, you and Jake called it quits not long after the premiere, and you seemed to be drawn closer to Tom, since the both of you lived in England. 

And so, before you knew it, he asked you out on a date, and you said yes. You officially announced your relationship on the premiere of Thor: The Dark World, and then your engagement on the premiere of Crimson Peak, four years later. 

It was difficult. It always had, and it always would be. If anyone knew that, it was you. 

You'd managed to manoeuvre your relationship with Jake into the right corner, but that was mostly because you travelled with him everywhere. 

And by the time you and Tom were married and returned from the honeymoon, you knew it wouldn't be the same. 

 

With a huff, you sat down on the couch with the big book in your hands, letting William crawl on your lap and Diane sit next to you. "I'm only going to read a short story," you told your children, ruffling William's tousled locks. The small boy yawned profusely. "Aren't we going to watch a movie with daddy?" Alice asked softly, her green eyes big and pleading. You held in a sigh, and tugged her closer. "I'm sorry, sugar, but daddy isn't here right now. But you can certainly watch the movie when he's here." You smiled at her. "Now come on, sit down, so I can read you the story." 

It wasn't hard to cheer the children up. They were young, and easily distracted, and so you decided to let them go to bed a little later to give them a bit of ice cream. 

 

You were in your bed, reading Hamlet, when the door creaked open, and a small figure stood in the doorway, holding a small blanket. 

"Mummy?" A soft voice sounded, and your heart melted. You closed the book and put it on the nightstand, together with your glasses, brushing your hair out of your face. 

"Can't sleep?" You asked Diane softly, and she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. You watched your eldest climb into your bed. "I miss daddy," she whispered, and you could already see her trembling lip. You pulled her close to you, and let her softly sob in the soft silk of your nightgown. "It's alright," you whispered, stroking her back. "It's alright, darling." 

She snuggled up against you, and you let her, slowly sinking into the pillows and turning off your light. 

"I miss him too," you said to her, even though she was already asleep, "But he's going to be home soon." 

At that moment, you weren't sure if you were trying to convince yourself, or your daughter. 

 

* * *

 

The next day, you dropped your children at their grandmother's place, to take some time for yourself. 

What that actually meant was going to the pub with your girlfriends and later crying your eyeballs out. 

 

"Cheers!" Everyone said loudly, and the glasses clunk together. You laughed, nudging Patrice that the food was coming. 

"Alright," Dorothy said, swallowing her bite of fish, "we want to know how you're holding up." Everyone looked at you, and you could feel your cheeks burning. 

"I'm fine," you said, waving their concern away. 

The girls frowned. "Absolutely not," Elle said. "We know you, and we know when there's something wrong. Tell us about it. Do we need to send you off to Costa Rica so you can tan on the beach, kick your husband out and take care of your three little angels?" You laughed at that. 

After sipping from your wine, you sighed deeply. "Fine." You said, crossing your arms over each other. 

"He hasn't called in a week." Catherine whistled lowly. "I haven't texted him because I know he's not going to answer, busy as he is, and I have avoided public places like these because I don't want anybody to know how miserable I actually feel." 

Elle placed her own hand on top of yours, squeezing it. "But for the sake of the children, I keep up this confidence that he's going to be back soon." You sighed deeply, closing your eyes. "I feel guilty for feeling bad, too, you know? Like I'm not supposed to feel guilty. I've got everything some people can only dream of-" "You have the right to feel sad," Dorothy told you kindly, "you're just human, and you have emotions like the rest of us. And honestly, no one thinks you're being a spoiled brat or something. It's hard to have a husband who's always away, especially when you're the one who stays behind and takes care of the kids." 

"I can't tell him to stay here," you said, your eyes fixated on your plate. You could never ask such a thing of him. He was so happy when doing this: acting, helping producers, being on stage, it was something he was almost literally born to do. You also knew he would stay with you if you asked. But you simply couldn't. Because then you'd be taking away the one thing he loved most in life, and you couldn't even bear the thought of it. 

"That's enough!" Patrice snapped, and you snapped out of your daze. She narrowed her eyes. "I hate seeing you this miserable. How about we forget about your stupid husband for a while, and we drink to friendship and family. And then we get wasted." You pursed your lips. Then you nodded. "Why not?" 

 

You woke up in your own bed with a huge hangover. Groaning, you rolled to the side, reaching for your glasses. As soon as you put them on, you could see properly again. Grabbing your head as you got up from the bed, you contemplated leaving the children with Diana for a little while longer. 

You swallowed a migraine pill, with your usual medicines, and then you undressed yourself in the bedroom to get a quick shower. You stopped in front of the mirror, and examined the thick white scar displayed on your stomach, visible through your tanned skin. 

You swallowed, tracing the scar with your index finger. 

There was no turning around anything anymore. You missed your husband dearly. 

And you were scared. He hadn't called or texted in days, and that wasn't that much unlike him, but that didn't mean you got used to it. And with your children nagging you about him all the time, you felt like bursting into tears. 

But you were also angry. At yourself, mostly, for falling in love this deep, and making the stupid decision to marry a man who was only at home for the maximum of three months. At Tom, for not texting or calling, for not even reaching out only for the sake of the kids. For putting his job before your family. 

The thing you hated most, however, was the fact that you couldn't actually be angry with him. 

Because it had been your own choice. You had chosen to say yes that faithful day in the restaurant, and then yes by the altar, holding his hands and swallowing the lump in your throat. 

Maybe it was too hard for him. Maybe it was too hard for him to have such big responsibilities. Maybe.... maybe he didn't love you anymore. At that, tears sprung in your eyes. But you quickly burned the thought. No, you said to yourself. Thomas loves me. He loves us, our little family. 

You closed your eyes, imagining him entering the room, and circling his arms around your waist, kissing you on that spot in your neck that he knew made your knees weak. You imagined his soft voice, whispering how much he missed you, and how much he loved you. 

Maybe he's had doubts about your marriage, a treacherous voice in the back of your mind whispered to you. You choked on a sob, and quickly sought refuge in the shower, where you could cry while slowly cleaning yourself. 

 

To distract yourself, you cleaned the entire house. It took you four days, with the help of your maids, but it gave you a legitimate excuse to let the children stay with their grandmother, and it gave your hands something to do. 

After that, you got on track again. You brought the children to kindergarten, drove home to walk the dogs, then you lunched, and ran in the park for an hour. You cleaned the rooms from their usual rubble, and made the beds. Most days, when you'd be done with that, it was time to pick up the children from their grandmother's house and make dinner for them, before letting them watch a movie or play in the living room, and tucking them in bed at seven thirty. 

On Friday, two weeks after your sort of emotional display in the pub with your friends, Catherine and Dorothy came over to watch a movie and drink some wine, you checked your phone. 

"He still hasn't called?" Dorothy said from the kitchen, where she was filling two bowls with popcorn. "No," you said, and you wanted to type him a text, but Catherine snatched your phone out of your hands. "It's girls night," she hummed, "and you're not going to feel miserable about him for one second, you hear me?" You nodded, and let her push you down on the couch. 

 

"Good night," you told them, kissing them on the cheek. They both smiled, and stepped into their cars. Dorothy lifted her hand before driving off the driveway, and then the two were gone. You sighed, closing the door behind you. 

Even though you didn't want to, your thoughts swirled back to Tom. You thought of his beautiful blue eyes, and his adorable dorky smile, and those soft curls that you would often run your hand through. You thought of the way he made your toes curl in pleasure, and of the way his lips felt, and of his arm around you when the two of you were curled up in bed reading. 

You thought of his soft voice, assuring you that he wouldn't leave you for anything, and that he loved you more dearly than anything, and that he didn't want to live without you. 

Diane was sleeping over at a friend's house, and you had dropped William and Alice with your mother Alicia, so you had the house to yourself. 

It was only ten pm, and so you connected Spotify to the tv, and played your favourite latino songs, while softly singing and dancing to the music, and cleaning up the mess you'd made. 

You swiftly turned around as you heard the door open and close. 

Who could it be? Maybe it was your mother, or Diana. Maybe something had happened and they needed your help. There was a tense silence. But they'd have called beforehand. A cold hand was squeezing your heart. Your breath quickened, and your hand reached for one of the knives on the marble of the kitchen counter that you still had to clean. 

 

When Tom walked into the kitchen, coat over his arm and his curls unruly, eyes bright and shimmering, you marched forward immediately. 

He smiled. 

And you slapped him. 

Hard. 

"What the.." He muttered, and then turned his head to look at you, but you didn't give him any chance to respond. Instead, you jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist and pressing your lips on his, your arms around his neck. His hands reached up to hold you, and he kissed you fervently, with such passion and need that you felt like you could explode. 

"You fucking bastard," you whispered against his lips, and you could feel the tears burning in your eyes. "You didn't text me once."

"I can explain," he heaved, hoisting you up on the kitchen table, his fingers slipping under the hem of your shirt, stroking your skin. "But first.." he pressed another lingering kiss to your lips before drawing away and smiling that adorable smile of his. "I want to make love to you all night." "Well," you smirked, "you know where the bedroom is." He grinned, and picked you up. "I love you," he whispered, and then your lips connected again, and you lost all sense of time. 

Your thoughts swirled around, going nowhere. But they seemed to focus on one thing, and one thing only. Your husband. The love of your life. 

 

* * *

 

You woke up with your legs entangled in the sheets, and your hand entwined with Tom's. He was still asleep, with a soft smile playing on his lips. 

You couldn't resist kissing him softly. Then you shoved the sheets off your naked body, and you walked to the bathroom. 

After taking a quick shower, you put on a pair of jeans and a white sweater, pulling your long hair up into a ponytail. 

Tom groaned, shifting in your bed. 

You smiled. 

He deserved to have a bit of sleep. 

 

When Tom woke up, you were gone, and your side of the bed was cold, which meant that you had been gone for a while. 

He pushed himself up on the mattress, and checked his phone for new messages. There were none. He was glad. He had specifically told Luke that everyone should mind their business, so he could celebrate his birthday with his family without people blowing up his phone. 

 

"Care to tell me why you never called?" You asked him as soon as he sat down on the couch, and he nodded. You flopped on the couch next to him, and snuggled up into his side. He pulled you closer to him, if that was even possible. 

"I didn't have any free day in my schedule. There was always work to do, no matter where I went. I could only get out for two evenings, and those were short, and I didn't take my phone with me everywhere. You know how I am around electronics. I wanted to text you, I really did, but as soon as I had time, I fell asleep. Plus, Luke and the rest wanted me to focus a hundred percent on the project. So I'm sorry," he sighed, pressing a kiss on your forehead. You looked up at him. "But I have good news for you." There was a questioning gaze directed to him, and he chuckled. "I'm staying here for a while. Indefinitely. I deserve the rest, and you need me here." 

"You are?" You asked, and you shot up, eyes big in amazement. "That's amazing!" You wrapped your arms around him, and he laughed, hugging you back tightly. 

"I love you," you murmured as you pressed your forehead to his, and his lips were very close to yours. You pressed your lips to his, and they felt just like they used to - soft and warm. "God, I love you," he whispered into your ear, before pulling you on his lap, and kissing you senseless, his hands roaming over your body.

 

* * *

 

"We're going to watch a movie today," you told your children, taking off their coats. Alice and Diane turned to you with wide eyes. 

"A movie?" Diane asked, hope in her voice. 

You smiled. 

"Everything's set up in the living room already. But first, we're going to shower and pull on our pj's." The two girls solemnly nodded. You touched William's cheek, but he was almost asleep in your arms. 

 

After bathing the kids and helping them in their pyjama's, you let them run to the living room. William crawled behind them, so you decided to help him, and you carried him into the living room, where the girls were already on top of their father. 

"Dada!" William cooed, stretching his arms, and Tom laughed, taking him from your arms. 

You wrapped an arm around your stomach, and leaned against the wall, smiling, and watching your little family on the couch. 

Tom looked really happy. You wanted to take a picture of this, memorize this moment forever. You quickly took out your phone, and filmed the occasion. Tom was tickling his little girls with one arm, while pressing William to his chest with the other, peppering his son's face in kisses. 

Then he looked up at you, and he smiled. His eyes were filled with so much love that there were butterflies swarming in your stomach. 

You were still very much in love with him. And you would stay like that for a long, long time. 

 

As soon as you were done with filming and walked towards them, Tom took your hand and tugged you towards him. You laughed, toppling next to him on the couch. Alice crawled onto your lap, and Diane snuggled into her father's side, while William sat on his lap, gurgling happily. 

Tom tugged you close, kissing you softly on your temple. "I love you," he whispered in your ear. "So, so much. I'm so happy I married you." Your cheeks burned, and you smiled bashfully. "Dito." You said, and tugged him close to quickly kiss him. 

"Mommy!" Diane gasped, and the two of you parted ways and laughed. 

"How about we start the movie?" Tom asked, and everyone nodded. You smiled, your eyes on the screen, where The Jungle Book started playing. 

This was all you wanted. 

You put your head on Tom's shoulder. He smiled at you, his eyes filled with so much love that you couldn't help but smile. 

You would never give up on this family. 

Ever.


End file.
